Dianne Thompson is the Chief Executive of the Operator, Camelot. She has been in the top seat for 17 years, and will be retiring later this month.

Camelot as an company produces six new millionaires a week with different strands of the National Lottery. It also raises huge amounts of funding for good causes. On Diane’s watch the company has generated £32billion.

Camelot, as a business is heading towards its best year ever, and to tell the Independent’s Chris Blackhurst about her life and work she joins him for the Headline Interview.

Dianne Thompson explains how the company was doing well when she joined and how she actually won the lottery herself.

In the 17 years she has been at the company, she explains what the lowest point was, almost losing the licence to the National Lottery to Sir Richard Branson.

When questioned about the negative effects of gambling addiction whilst playing the lottery, Dianne says it is a small number in the grand scheme of things.

30 million people play the lottery regularly, but the number hike up when the jackpot rolls over and gets bigger.